THE PLACE EOU TKAINING A CULT. 87 



nection with this strapping up and laying down process, 

 is, that the moment the horse rises ke seems to have con- 

 tracted a personal friendship for the operator, and with a 

 very little encouragement will generally follow him 

 round the box or circus ; this feeling may as well be en- 

 couraged by a little bit of carrot or bread and sugar. 



PLACE AND PEEPARATIONS FOR TRAINING A COLT. 



It is almost impossible to train or tame a horse 

 quickly in the open air. As his falls are violent, the floor 

 nmst be very soft. The best place is a space boarded 

 off six or seven feet high in a riding-school, because 

 there you have a deep layer of tan or sand or saw-dust, 

 on which, when a thick layer of straw has been spread, 

 there is no danger of a horse hurting himself. A paved 

 stone or wooden floor will not do, unless a foot deep in 

 tan : the enclosure should be about thirty feet from side 

 to side, of a square or octagonal shape ; but not round if 

 possible, because it is of great advantage to have a 

 corner into which a colt may turn when you are teaching 

 him the first haltering lesson. A barn may be converted 

 into a training-school, if the floor be made soft enough 

 with straw. But in every case, it is extremely dangerous 

 to bave pillars, posts, or any projections against which the 

 horse in rearing might strike ; as when the legs are tied, 

 a horse is apt to miscalculate his distance. And if the 

 sj^ace is too narrow, the trainer, in dealing with a violent 

 horse, may get crushed or kicked. It is of great advan- 

 tage that the training-school should be roofed, and for 

 success it is essential that every living thing, that can 

 distract the horse s attention by sight or sound, should 

 be removed. Other horses, cattle, pigs, and even dogs 



